Claude LeSache Movies
Crossing to Freedom is a 1990 TV-movie remake of the 1942 film The Pied Piper; both productions were based on a novel by Nevil Shute. Peter O'Toole steps into the old Monty Woolley role of the crotchety, isolationist Britisher who finds himself the unwilling guardian of several French war- refugee children. O'Toole leads his flock out of occupied France, making good his escape by striking up an unusual bargain with a Nazi officer. The predominantly British cast members choose to play their roles without French or German accents; not so American leading lady Mare Winningham, whose musical-comedy dialect is straight out of Fifi D'Orsay. Unlike the original Hollywood-bound Pied Piper, Crossing to Freedom was filmed on location in France. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Ian Bertram (Robert Lindsay) is a mathematical genius who works as an accountant for a multinational firm based in England. When he meets Cary Porter (Molly Ringwald), who recently started working for the same company, Ian immediately falls in love and quickly proposes marriage. Cary accepts, and they plan a modest wedding, but when Ian's accounting skills earn him the admiration of company head Herbert Dreuther (John Geilgud), Herbert offers to pay for a honeymoon in Monte Carlo and give them a ride back on his yacht. But while Mr. Dreuther means well, he has problems with his memory, and once Ian and Cary get to Monte Carlo, Herbert has forgotten all about them. Stuck at the hotel with a large bill that he can't afford, Ian works out a plan to win at roulette; his scheme works, and he earns enough to pay their bill, get them home, and have plenty left over. But his sudden success at the gambling tables makes Ian drunk with power, and Cary discovers that her new husband has turned into a power-hungry tyrant. Strike It Rich was adapted from the novel Loser Takes All by Graham Greene; it has been shown under the novel's title, as well as under the title Money Talks. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Lindsay, Molly Ringwald, (more)
"The Final Problem" is the last episode of the television series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, an excellent adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes mystery stories produced in Britain for Granada TV. In this episode directed by Alan Grint, Jeremy Brett portrays the famed detective aided by his companion Dr. Watson (David Burke) as they fight to the finish with Holmes' nemesis Professor James Moriarity (Eric Porter). This episode was written by John Hawkesworth and is one of the most famous of the Holmes stories; it was intended by Doyle to be his final Holmes publication. It is an excellent adaptation of the original story first printed in the Strand Magazine during the late 19th century. This series was followed by several sequels, as well as four feature-length TV movie adaptations. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeremy Brett, David Burke, (more)
Alex Rodak (Michael York) is a Polish director in exile in London with his family, which includes an older teenage son Adam (Michael Lyndon) who is struggling with an identity crisis, his wife (Joanna Szerzerbic), and another son. Rodak is in the throes of putting together a major show about Poland and the politics of exile at a West End theater. His single-minded determination to succeed causes him to take advantage of others, and because of his need for backing, he turns to a low-life businessman (John Hurt) to bail him out. His wife is anything but happy about his behavior and dislikes this last decision even more. On the opposite end of the spectrum stands Adam, who is disillusioned with his father's drive to succeed at all costs (the father does receive a few awards) and who longs to go back to his roots -- in Warsaw. The story jumps from one scene to the next with some fantasy segments and not always enough connecting narrative. Otherwise, this is an interesting study of how a father and son become alienated in a conflict between cultural identity and its exploitation. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael York, Janna Szerzerbic, (more)
In this Bill Murray-driven remake of the 1946 Tyrone Power film, Murray plays the lead, Larry Darrel, a World War I survivor who takes off on a foreign trek to discover the meaning of his life. Apparently Murray said he'd film Ghostbusters only if Columbia would let him do Razor's Edge. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Bill Murray, Theresa Russell, (more)
During World War II, the impenetrable Colditz castle in Germany was selected as the site for a POW camp. The Germans reason that, since Colditz has been virtually impossible to get into or out of for centuries, it is ideal for housing the most contentious allied prisoners. British officer John Mills doesn't agree, and leads an escape through a subterranean tunnel. Only three of the prisoners (Mills included) survive the escape; the next step is to get out of Germany itself. Colditz Story is based on the reminiscences of P. R. "Pat" Reid, the real-life English officer portrayed in this film by John Mills. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Mills, Eric Portman, (more)





